Music to Quilt by

Music.  It uplifts, calms, energizes.  It sets toes to tapping, feet to dancing.  It soothes the soul and makes the spirit laugh.  I don't know of anyone who doesn't have music he loves.

For me that is instrumental--jazz, bluegrass, Latin, Celtic and a new one for me--classical crossover. I have wondered if my preference for instrumental is tied to my being an introvert.  Song lyrics don't particularly interest me, but I love rhythm.  Singing, even someone with a lovely voice, clutters up the music--please, just give me the notes.  

My favorite times to listen to music are either when I clean or when I quilt.  Nothing like a good beat to get Mr. J and I dancing together.  

Enter Pandora.  I create a station with a favorite piece and from there I find songs I like.  I write down the artist and song, and off I head to iTunes to create my own playlists.  Once I sync those playlist on my iPod/iPhone, I set it to shuffle and off I go. 

Here are some my favorite songs I used to create my Pandora stations:

Latin:  Cafe Mocha by Jesse Cook

Bluegrass: Dawg's Breath by Ricky Scaggs

Celtic/bluegrass:  Crossing the Briney by Ricky Scaggs

Celtic:  Dawn Dance by Alasdair Fraser

Jazz:  The Wave by Kirk Whalum

Soft electronic:  Summer Groove by Jesus Tamames

Classical crossover: Rolling in the Deep by The Piano Guys

Very rarely do I buy whole albums, preferring to create my own mixes, but one artist stood out to me as I listened to my classical crossover station on Pandora:  Lindsey Stirling.  Much of the music on that station tends to be on the quieter side, but she creates a wonderful blend of dance/electronic with classical violin. I bought her first album (the second was a little too heavy on the electronic for me). Her music puts a smile on my face and makes me want to dance. :-)

Here's to good listening!

Dreams

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

With social justice being so much a part of the conversation of ministry these days, I have wrestled with the feeling that all or most ministry should serve the disadvantaged.  I have come to see, though, that there are other issues of concern that people deal with--illness, injury, grief. Here is where my gift of quilting can be of service, and it is what I am passionate about doing.  

Beyond receiving a thank you note, my quilt group doesn't often hear about the impact our quilts make.  Every once in a while, though, we do, and that is what encourages me in this ministry.  With our quilts we can offer warmth, color, and prayers.  

As I have been doing the commissioned quilts, I have given this idea some thought and realized that there are three areas I would like to focus on in quilting.  First, our Tuesday quilts.  I love working with this group of ladies, and that says a lot, being the introvert that I am.  Secondly, I would love to be able to make quilts for something like the Linus project locally.  And thirdly, I would like to create wall art that we would display in our home for a while and then donate as fundraisers.  

Right now, once I finish some current obligations, I could manage two of the three, which would be the Tuesday quilts and the wall art.  Perhaps I can work in a few kid quilts along the way as well. 

What does this mean for doing commissioned quilts?  I am not yet sure.  While I enjoy quilting for people, I do know that I don't want this to be my focus.  And I have learned that dreams are not just for the young.